Nokia has not begun a global rollout of the Lumia 920 and 820 updates. (But they are coming.)

Some sites today are erroneously spreading word that Nokia has begun a “global rollout” of the Portico Windows Phone OS update for the Lumia 920 and 820. Presumably this includes unlocked phones and even ones on various carriers.

Unfortunately, these sites didn’t verify the information or took liberties with the source.

A site called Symbian Tweet then lead the way with an article touting Nokia’s “global rollout” of the 820 and 920 rollout. WMPoweruser followed suit (along with the Verge) with the same headline, even though up to this point no one has been able to get an actual update outside of AT&T, Rogers or T-Mobile.

Truth be told, the original source post doesn’t even mention “global” anywhere.

We contacted Nokia and Microsoft on the matter for clarification, as we had heard nothing about a global rollout kicking off (and be sure, we would have heard about it). As it turns out, Nokia has not started such a system-wide update of Portico, which means you can stop checking your phone today. Certainly, Nokia never even said they were doing a global rollout so the info was just wrong from the beginning.

Nokia’s Communications Manager of North America, Chris Hollis did tell us the following:

“A Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 8 software update providing performance enhancements for the Nokia Lumia 820 and Nokia Lumia 920, has started rolling out over the air to operators. This currently includes Lumia 920 owners on AT&T and Rogers, Lumia 820 users on AT&T, and Lumia 810 users on T-Mobile. Delivery will continue in a phased manner over the coming weeks and is expected to be complete by the end of February. People will receive a notification on their phone when the update is available for them to download.”

Regarding other, international carriers (and those with unlocked phones or ones from BUILD), your update is still being tested and approved for quality. Once Nokia is satisfied with their stringent internal testing, it will be passed on to Microsoft for distribution. But that process is still happening and is not being executed at the moment.

As to the process of who gets the update when, all we can say is we’ll continue to pass along updates from Nokia as we receive them. At this point though, it won’t be a global anything as Nokia and Microsoft will release the update through carriers as it comes online.

Due to the vastness of Nokia’s global coverage, we’ll do our best to let you folks know when that ensues. Just be assured Nokia and Microsoft are working promptly and this process should be relatively quick.

Oh really? So how should I feel about not getting the OS update until February on my unbranded unlocked regular full-priced retail 820 that I purchased in early November for $700?
And I'm not whining about some three little feature updates that this update contains, I don't give a rats about them. I just want my phone to stop rebooting spontaneously due to WP8 bugs.

Look it annoys me as well, I constantly have to reboot to try to get a wifi connection. But we are in the minority. All US Nokia's have it and all phones sold this month as well.
I reckon there's a problem with the update procedure, or more likely there's a couple more bugs they want to iron out before releasing a final build. It'd be annoying to update it now and then have to do so again next month, esp if the current build has some bugs (as reported in the forums). I guess I wouldn't be saying this if I was one of the people with the rebooting issues - if you have a phone like that you should just take it into the shop for a replacement.
Or maybe if Apollo+ is coming at MWC (is that what it's called, the mobile conference in Feb) they will just jump us all straight onto that (can dream).

are you kidding me? You bought a phone for what it is, not for what it can be. If you buy a new phone every 6 months why on earth are you complaining about updates anyway? Your new phone will have the update pre-installed!

As I explained, I don't care so much about new features as for the bug fixes. I didn't buy a new phone to watch it spontaneously reboot every day.
Are you suggesting I should throw away my 820 and get a new 8S for $400 if I want a stable WP8?

When most of the major carriers approove it. Because for some inane reason, instead of simply relasing their OS updates monthly or quaterly, like they do for all other products, Microsoft keeps binding their OS updates with OEM updates. And they are scared of releasing OEM updates before the carriers test them. And that makes owners of unbranded variants receive the updates last, as they have to wait for the carrier variants in their region, for MS to feel safe.
And yet, elephant-sized bugs like the disappearing keyboard manage to slip through that entire process, and then remain unpatched for several months, because of the same process.

Without adding fire to rumours - interestingly the portico updates have re-appeared on the navitool (for, as far as i can see, all markets) so can now be downloaded unofficially (not ota, settings lost, etc, etc)

Hoping it doesn't take long to hit UK carriers. Picking up my 920 on Sunday, making the switch from iPhone. Makes me very concerned for Apollo Plus. Waiting for some fixes isn't too painful, but pointlessly waiting months and months for new features will be terrible. Hoping MS/Nokia can streamline the update process after Portico.

That's true, but I'm the kind of person who hates having an outdated version of anything. All of my devices, apps and software get updated as soon as they're available. It's one of the biggest reasons why I dislike Android, and is certainly an area of worry for WP8.

If it's only a few weeks it doesn't bother me, but when you're looking at months then it becomes incredibly frustrating.

It depends: I keep experiencing multiple random reboots daily for example. Check the Nokia forums and you will see that the 920, as well as the 900 before it, have issues.
And I am not even getting to Nokia behaviour that update AT&T devices before unbranded ones. Great way to treat your customers Nokia.....

Welcome to the world of carrier run updates. Microsoft needs a system just like Apple. When an update is pushed out it goes out on their time to ALL of the phones. This whole waiting on carriers is absolutely ridiculous. That's my single most missed part of having an iPhone.

Stop trolling!
The 920 has been out what, two months? Why can't you just sit and wait. Nokia is the best updater there is! You will get your update, Can't you understand that they want to make it as good as possible before the release. If it's not released yet, it's not ready for release. Simple as that.

great, shame for me that i have switched to windows phone. i cant understand rolling update piece by piece. if you start updating apply globally. thats why windows phone would never be like ios platform

It's been explained thousands of times. Carriers weld a lot of power combined with these phones being "customized" slightly for each carrier.

Apple can do whatever they want because they're the top dog. But even Android (Google) with all of their clout are way behind even Windows Phone when it comes to OS updates.

We're right in the middle between iOS and Android and to be honest, it's only the enthusiasts who complain about these things. Most smartphone owners don't cruise phone sites for the latest news on their devices, nor concern themselves with OS updates.

Even looking at comments on sites and forums--only those who are unhappy or have complaints share post. Most people who are happy with their phone/service/software won't share that.

Daniel i wouldn't agree with you. Microsoft could be the top dog like Apple and i didnt mention Android because i know how it is impossible to control all android phones to be updated at the same time. As others said, i have unlocked Lumia 920 and i should receive updates without carrier customization. I would understand if there were no updates till this day; but when someone receives updates and most of the others wait for updates to be rolled out, i feel as if i am treated as idiot.

I think they had some problems with the original Portico update and delayed the global release because if it. I've had more battery drain issues and recently even random reboots in the recent weeks since the update, than I did prior. The Bluetooth lockups are gone at least. Hopefully, these have been addressed.

You are right. Heard people bricking thier phones when it tried to install Portico. Also as you said some people experiencing erratic bright screens and battery life issues.
I think Nokia must have sent some feedback to MS due to number of people having to get thier handsets replaced, so I guess they are probably doing some testing.

So let me get this straight. Right now I'm waiting for 7.8. If I go and buy myself a 820/920 unbranded for much more money than a branded one. Nokia and MS will give me updates that had been out on the market for 2 months? Wtf is this shit OS. I really am looking strongly for some other Android phone this year rather WP8 if this is how it's going to be like.

Garpen, android phones don't even get updates sometimes, and if they do, its not uncommon for it to tale 6 months. 2 month wait for a brand new OS is not that bad. Besides Nokia are rolling out software updates every week

I am an iPhone user since 2007. I switched to lumia 920, 2 months ago for several reasons.
I am not gonna take the easy road and sell my phone to go back to iPhone, I really like the WP8 interface and all. However things are really messed up here in this WP world and I already regret this decision... I hope it'll get a lot better very soon... Some stuff is really messed up here in WP world.

Guys and gals, its very simple why unlocked phones do not have the update, the exclusivity deal baked in terms that delayed unlocked roms from being released otherwise hackers would find some way to install them on locked phones. Don't ppl find it just a tiny bit suspicious that the so called roll out date coincides with att's exclusivity expiring and Verizon launching its 920 variant. Even if it is unlocked, make no mistake this is still very much carrier driven.

Hello Everybody, I would like to point out something I noticed on a Lumia 820 bought here in India. Ever since I got the device I was plagued with terrible battery times like 11 hours on a full charge.
Today I cleared both check boxes under settings>phone update. The battery is going on for 16 hours since last charge!! I still have 40 % battery remaining. Anybody else notice this?? Is this possibly a bug?
--> Could you guys at WPcentral take it up with Nokia for a comment? Would be much appreciated.

P.S : i think my device came with portico installed. I have the "keep wifi alive on standby" option!